Title: SAFE Work - Promoting a culture of safety and health in Manitoba
Division: External Communications
Category: Social Marketing
Entrant: Jim Kingdon
SAFE
Y WORK
SPOTTHEHAZARD
. ASSESS THE RISK
=fIND
A SAf~ER
WAY
~
The Current Situation: The Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) of Manitoba is a provincial tribunal charged with
administering compulsory no-fault insurance for workplace injuries to approximately 70 per cent of workers In Manitoba.
The remaining 30 per cent belong to excluded industries which can apply for special coverage. WCB currently represents
more than 384,500 people employed by over 25,000 registered employers.
In 2000, new injury claims were reported to WCB reach a new high of 40,199. The cost of paying these claims, which
affected approximately 10 per cent of the workers insured by WCB, was funded by premiums paid to WCB by registered
employers. As such, a reduction in claims would increase productivity in the workplace and reduce employer premiums.
To decrease workplace health and safety incidents in Manitoba, WCB and the provincial Workplace Safety and Health
Division (WSHD) worked with ChangeMakers Marketing Communications in 2003 to create SAFE Work Manitoba, an
injury and illness prevention strategy to reduce time-loss injury rates in the workplace by 25 per cent (from 5.8 or fewer
injuries per 100 full time equivalent [FTE] workers in 2000 to 4.35 by 2008) over five years with the participation of
industry, labour and educational organizations.
The Government of Manitoba and WCB understand that it is not enough simply to remind people about the importance of
workplace safety. To ensure safer workplaces, people have to arrive at work with a safety attitude and aptitude already in
place. For this reason, the SAFE program does not rely on a set of rules, but emphasizes a memorable, universal
approach to safety that can be applied everywhere, everyday. The program is best known by the risk management
message that creates its SAFE acronym: Spot the Hazard, Assess the Risk, Find a Safer Way, Everyday.
SAFE Work was launched in 2003 and since then it has penetrated the marketplace. As of November 2006, according to
quarterly public opinion phone surveys:
•
More than 8 in 10 Manitobans are familiar with the SAFE message;
•
More than 7 in 10 Manitobans are taking steps to keep themselves safer; and
•
More than 8 in 10 Manitobans support WCB sponsoring advertisements for workplace safety.
Budget: Our budget for this social marketing campaign was $1.25 million. This budget allowed us to make a significant
impact across Manitoba through mass media. We leveraged this mass media investment by augmenting our campaign
with smaller targeted pieces. See the supporting information for more budget detail in "2007 SAFE Program Plan".
Audience: The primary audience for SAFE Work Manitoba is the more than 585,000 Manitobans ages 15 to 65 who are
currently in the workforce (Statistics Canada 2001 Census). This group includes both current workers and those on leave
from their positions. It is 53 per cent male and 47 per cent female, spans all levels of education, literacy and English
language fluency, and includes both unionized and non-unionized workers. Many of these workers have been exposed to
the SAFE initiative through campaign commercials, but fewer workers have seen the link between SAFE Work and their
workplace's safety practices.
A key segment of the primary audience is youth 15 to 24 years old, representing 18 per cent of the Manitoba workforce.
Males between 20 and 24 years old account for the highest time-loss injury rates (7.5 in 2006) and demand our attention
for this social marketing program. Workers in this group are usually in their first or second job and lack training,
experience and knowledge of their right to safe work. It is imperative they become aware of safety hazards and
alternatives. The majority of youth claims are in the manufacturing, trade (retail), service (hospitality) and construction
sectors.
SAFE Work Manitoba's secondary audience is management of Manitoban workplaces. Management is responsible for
promoting safe working environments for their staff and setting a precedent for a safety culture at work. There are
currently over 25,000 employers offering workers compensation to their staff in Manitoba. These workplaces are SAFE
Work's primary vehicle to connect to people on the job. Management teams often respond to incentive programs, return
on investment and appeals citing good safety practices as good for business. They are also sensitive to the labour
shortage in Manitoba and may respond to retention appeals as well.
Social Marketing: ChangeMakers Marketing Communications uses a six-step Stages of Change model to provide a
roadmap and yardstick for social marketing. Each phase of this program moves our target audience from awareness to
initial action and, finally, to engagement with our clients' programs and services resulting in sustainable behavioural and
social change.
2007 CPRS Award Entry - Summary: SAFE Manitoba Website - www.salemanitoba.com
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Strategy: 2007 marked the fourth year of the SAFE Work initiative and a renewed need for a comprehensive social
marketing program to build a culture of health and safety in Manitoba. In 2006, the workplace injury rate was 4.7 per 100
full time equivalent [FTE] workers, a 19 per cent decrease from 2000. The strategy called for the positioning of SAFE
Work to meet its five year target of 4.35 fewer injuries by 2008.
Goal: Reduce the time-loss injury rate in Manitoba and build a culture of safety and health in Manitoba.
Objectives:
•
Increase awareness of SAFE Work and the importance of safety at work
•
Increase support for workplace safety programs to ensure more people support SAFE Work in their workplace
Tactics included:
•
Partnership Building
o SAFE Momentum partnership campaign for employers to partner with SAFE Work and bridge the SAFE
message between work and home.
o Mark's Work Wearhouse Safe Retail Brand - Mark's Work Wearhouse in-store promotions and
community giving campaign
•
Public & Media Relations
o News conferences, press releases and special events to promote and support the SAFE brand
• Community Sponsorships
o Employee events and sponsorship at Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg Goldeyes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers
games
• Website Development
o Content updated regularly
•
Public Awareness Program
o Quarter one mixed media campaign: "Work Shouldn't Hurt" (SAFE Work)
o Quarter two mixed media campaign: "Sounds of Summer" (construction focus for summer months)
o Quarter three mixed media campaign: Youth Special Project
o Quarter four mixed media campaign: "SAFE Workers Aren't Born, They're Trained" (focus on training)
o Poster campaigns, radio, television, web and restauranVcabaret ads were included in all four quarters
o Transit Bus Wrap
o Multilingual ads on CKJS and NCI
o Quarterly SAFE Momentum ads on billboard and television
• Segmented Audience Specific Programming (Youth)
o Take Your Kids to SAFE Work: event and radio promotions to bridge parenVchild safety
o SAFE Workers of Tomorrow: ambassadors who speak at schools about the importance of SAFE Work
o Average Day Program: educational video for teachers to use in the classroom
o Get Worked up about SAFE Work contest promotion, radio, web
o "Ask the Safety Geek" interactive podcast on web and banter on radio
Results
Monitoring and evaluating social change through the Stages of Change model enables evidence-based decision-making
in each phase of the social marketing program, allowing ChangeMakers to adapt and improve communications to
optimize results. Success is achieved when consumers move from contemplation - acknowledging the need to change to action and finally consolidation - sustaining the change
In 2003 Key Performance Indicators (KPls) were establish to provide a baseline for the evaluation of all subsequent
programs, initiatives and investments. This research - coupled with a Corporate Confidence Index administered by
ChangeMakers - established the KPls for the three indicators of social change: program awareness, attitudinal change
and behavioural change.
According to a survey of approximately 400 Manitobans, more than nine out of 10 Manitobans recalled SAFE Work
advertising either unaided (83 per cent) or with some prompting (eight per cent), an increase of seven per cent over last
year. More than nine out of 10 support SAFE Work, increased by almost 10 per cent from last year. The SAFE Youth
campaign was also very successful, with over 200 youth entering the Get Worked Up about SAFE Work and submitting
their stories about workplace safety.
Most importantly, the SAFE Work program has achieved a 25 per cent reduction in time loss injury claims - behavioural
change - since it was introduced.
2007 CPRS Award Entry - Summary: SAFE Manitoba Website - www.safemanitoba.com
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